Strange and Weird Things
During our travels we have seen some strange, weird, crazy and “interesting” things. Below are some of the things that we thought might be worthing sharing. If you are near to these places take your time and visit them for yourself.
Dragon Bones !!
The Church of Santa Maria e San Donato is situated in Murano, Venice. Behind the alter are displayed several large bones claimed to be that of a fierce dragon. Legend has it that a saint slew the dragon centuries ago. Apart from the dragon bones the church is worth a look at as the architecture when looking from the outside is amazing.
Astronaut on medieval church !!
While walking through the town of Salamanca, Spain we went to have a look at the cathedral. You can imagine our shock when on the fresco on the side of the main door we saw an astronaut. Not only that but there was also a dragon eating ice cream from a cone. We latter discovered that they are not part of the original church build but were put there in 1992 when repairs were carried out. Conspiracy theories about the carvings were rife with people saying that they were done by time travelers or aliens. These were dispelled when the church told of the renovations.
Sedlec Ossuary - Chapel of Bones
Situated in the Czech Republic town of Kutna Hora the Sedlec Ossuary is said to contain the bones of between 40,000 to 70,000 people. The bones were cleaned by monks and have been displayed artistically throughout the chapel. A truly amazing place. We have visited a small scull chapel in Poland and also in Portugal
The Blood of Jesus
In the The Basilica of the Holy Blood a Catholic Church in Brugge, Belgium they have a vial of blood which they allege is Jesus’s blood. For a donation you can go up the stairs to where the priest will show you a glass vial containing blood. I couldn’t resist and put a coin in the donation tin and had a look. I couldn’t take a photo of course the best I could do was take a picture of the priest sitting behind the holy relic.
Catacombe in Palermo
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo are not for the faint-hearten. It wasn’t an easy place to find but once there we paid 3 euros entry fee and entered the spookiest place we have ever been to. The place houses the mummified remains of people, clothed and mostly hung on the walls. As you walk through they seem to be looking down at you. They are displayed in the occupations they had when alive.
Crazy Busker in Salamanca
Buskers are part of visiting cities and towns some are good, some pretty bad but this busker was just crazy. We saw him in Salamanca, Spain. He brought with him a scrapyard full of stuff, stood on top of it and tried to balance some metal balls and a chair. He never managed to do it but tried very hard. He even had a metallic suit to complete the effect. He had a sign asking for tips when you took a photo. I couldn’t help but take a photo and give him a tip for his efforts.
Mary's House in Loreto
In Loreto, Italy we went into the cathedral and were surprised to discover that the house of Mary [Jesus Mother] was located inside. It is encased in an ornate marble structure. You can walk inside and view the house where there is a statue of Mary holding Jesus. Mary’s house was transported there by angels but didn’t go straight to Italy but first went to Croatia. A very strange story, decide for yourself true or not!!
Freetown Christiania
When we were in Copenhagen on a bike ride we came across Freetown Chrisiania. As we strolled through we knew this was not an ordinary place. It is a place that has been taken over by alternative lifestyle people. Interesting graffiti and strange buildings. There were stalls set up openly selling drugs. This place is tolerated by the authorities but still not legal. Big signs saying no photos or video, the photos below have come from Upsplash a free internet photo site. If you are in Copenhagen take a look.
Photos courtesy Annie Spratt [unsplash]
Goats in a tree - Morocco
When in Morocco we drove past trees that have goats in them. Why you may ask, well they are in the argania trees and supposedly eat the berry’s split them out making them soft to be used for argan oil. However this is not always the case as some people put the goats in the trees on busy tourist routes and ask for money if people take photos. A scam??
Hope you enjoyed this page , we will be adding more strange, weird and wonderful things as we come across them. As always a work in progress.